COLLAGE COTERIE LESSON FOUR

Our fourth lesson in Mary Green's Collage Coterie class introduces us to using threes in composition.  The prompt is "Three's a charm".

Using my small moleskin journal again, I coffee stained the pages and let them dry.  Then I added images from Lisa's Altered Art and a German scrap flower from ARTchix.  A postage stamp, three faux gems, some charcoal shadowing and faint rubber stamped flourishes (Stampington).  Distress ink around the edges to enclose it all. I really like the coffee stained background - since I don't drink coffee, I had to ask a neighbor to save his grounds for me.  Needless to say, he was stumped when I told him I wanted to stain paper!  LOL

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COLLAGE COTERIE LESSON THREE

Here is my spread for our third lesson in Mary Green's Collage Coterie class, in which we are to use shapes and also deconstruction of images.  I have combined the two by deconstructing the Eiffel Tower and using squares and circles for shapes in this spread.  I used an alphabet stamp set (Hero Arts) and a Paris postmark stamp (Stampers Anonymous), along with a brown watercolor crayon around the edges again.  Some tiny copper German scrap from Alpha Stamps.  

I really like the size constraints of my new little moleskin journal (3 1/2" x 5") and can see myself working with this size much more in the future.  A bit bigger than an ATC, but not as big as some journals I have seen. 

By the way, you can still sign up for this class - it is open and you can work at your own pace.  You won't be disappointed and the cost is minimal compared to other online classes that are out there. 

Enjoy the last full week of August, everyone!  Can't believe how quickly this summer has gone by. 

COLLAGE COTERIE LESSON TWO

Mary Green's second lesson in her online class "Collage Coterie" was color and contrast.  I decided to do a two-page spread:

I colored the little girls with chalks and placed them against a torn paper (some vintage and some not) background. The birds were provided by Mary on a collage sheet.  Did some shading around the images with colored pencils.  I added some postage stamps, rubber stamps and the dogwood branch was purchased in a package from Alpha Stamps.  The edges were colored with a brown watercolor crayon and then I used the water brush to wet them down.  (I learned this technique from Lenna Andrews :*)

Mary's first class was full of inspiration and I can see this one will be more of the same! 

TFL.

COLLAGE COTERIE

Mary Green's newest online class "Collage Coterie" started yesterday.  Her first lesson taught us how to use torn strips of vintage papers and gesso for a background.  The gesso tones the papers down a bit and makes them more cohesive overall.  I made two ATC's:

For the one on the left, I used an image from Lisa's Altered Art, some rubber stamps, punches and a scrap of patterned paper at the bottom.  The strips of paper were glued on vertically.  For the one of the right, I glued the strips horizontally.  A friend gave me the old photo and I used a postage stamp, some German scrap along the bottom, and a butterfly from Mary's Vintage Gluebook class.  Distress the edges of both with the distress tool by Tim Holtz and some distress ink. 

This is an ongoing class - you can sign up anytime if you are interested. Very informative and a fun Flickr group to share your creations. Mary is very generous with collage sheets for her classes, also.

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VINTAGE NOTECARD

Here is one of a set of notecards I am making - kinda' shabby chic/vintage style. 

I made the background with distress inks on glossy paper and stamped over it with a darling stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  Then I added some collage elements (heart and butterfly) from Lisa's Altered Art.  This was layered to a square paper doily and a ribbon and copper brad were attached to the left side.  I also edged card with a Pilot gold metallic pen. 

I love how soft the colors are on this card; but the scan makes the colors look a bit deeper than IRL!!

Thanks to Lynn Stevens, I am entering this in the Simon Says challenge for their "wings" theme. 

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FINAL ATC FOR GARDEN VARIETY SWAP

Today I took the time to make an ATC for the host of the Alpha Stamps garden variety postcard/ATC swap.  I made this one for Lenna and sure do hope she likes it!

The background is made with lettuce and stream dimensional pearls by Ranger.  Added some Magenta stamps and a tiny strip of music.  The items I purchased from Alpha Stamps are the images which are from K and Company and the tiny coppery German scrap along the bottom (love this!).  

Am hoping to get this in the mail tomorrow!!  Thanks, again, Lenna for such a fun swap.  

GARDEN VARIETY ATC

The swap hosted by Lenna Young Andrews requires that we make one ATC to trade, along with four postcards.  Each of these must include the use of one item from Alpha Stamps.  Two posts back, I uploaded the postcards I made for this swap.  Here is my ATC:

A few weeks ago I made a few ATC backgrounds using Ranger's Adirondack Dimensional Pearls.  I put a few drops of two colors on cardstock and spread them around with an old credit card.  Some were done with a red pepper and butterscotch combination; some with a lettuce and stream combination.  For this ATC, I used the red and butterscotch background and added rubber stamped tiny flowers (Magenta), a sentiment (Annette Watkins) and a loopy border (A Stamp in the Hand) to the background.  Then I used a pretty floral image from one of Alpha Stamps collage sheets plus a bee transparency from K and Company, also ordered from Alpha Stamps.  A bit of gold metallic pen around the edges to finish it off.

Now I need to make another ATC or postcard for Lenna (not required, but only fitting due to all the effort she puts into her swaps!) and get them in the mail.

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GREEN PAPER PACKAGES CHALLENGE

Mary Green has a new challenge this week using a collage sheet she has provided on her blog.  We are to use all of, or a portion of, the three images she has offered.  Here is my collage:

I decided to add some color to Lady Randolph Churchill's image and then created my collage on a 6 inch square of Tim Holtz designer paper.  The flourishes are Tim's dies also. I sponged some distress ink around the edges to ground it a bit and decided to stop there before I really messed it up!!

Check out Mary's blog for the details of the challenge - and to see what others have created!  

TFL 

alphastamps postcard swap

Lenna Young Andrews is hosting another swap on her swap blog.  We are to create four postcards and one ATC to swap; using just one item from a plethora of beautiful products to choose from provided by alpha stamps. Here are the first two postcards I made:

I used distress inks and a gorgeous sunflower stamp by Donna Salazar to make all of the backgrounds on my postcards.  Then I collaged items from several different products offered by alpha stamps.  A floral collage sheet called Tallulah's flowers; a K & Company pack of die-cut cardstock and acetate images (this is my favorite thing I ordered from them - 65 fabulous pieces of many different things - butterflies, bees, flowers, birds - I was amazed!  And, many have a copper metallic accent on them.  Love this package!!!)   I also used some Graphic 45 images and some from a sheet called Creative Scraps.  Here are the last two I made:

Since there is a lot of coppery accents on some of the K & Company images, I edged my postcards with a copper Krylon pen.  Also added some clear dew drops and some speckles with a Magenta background stamp.  Still have to make an ATC and also something for our fabulous swap coordinator - Lenna!  Hopefully those will be done today or tomorrow and I can mail the whole shebang to her this week.  (Fingers crossed, Lenna!)  This was so much fun - I ordered a lot of stuff from alpha stamps and I have enough "leftovers" to create many more beautiful ATC's, postcards, cards or collages. 

If you have never joined one of Lenna's swaps, I highly recommend that you do - the newest one is a tag technique swap and I am hoping to participate in it.  Check out Lenna's blog for the details to sign up.  Lenna is a fantastic swap hostess - upbeat, encouraging, organized and so artistic, too!  Can't wait to see the postcards I will get back from this swap.  Thanks, Lenna!